Patent GB-768374-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to a photocomposing method for producing a photograhphic image of a line of composition and apparatus for same
IPC: B41B27/32
Filed: 1954-09-08
Abstract: 768,374. Type composing utilizing light. HARRIS-SEYBOLD CO. Sept. 8, 1954 [Sept. 17, 1953], No. 26005/54. Class 40 (3). [Also in Group XX] A justified line of composition having characters of different widths and arranged in words separated by word spaces is produced by photographically recording images of the selected characters in desired sequence to form words and unjustified lines on a record strip, advancing the record strip different amounts between the production of images of successive characters in accordance with the width of each character, and advancing the record strip by a uniform amount for each word space, determining the width of all characters in a line, the number or word spaces, and the space remaining for justification, recording data for the justifying of a line on the record strip, projecting images of entire words from said record strip on to a photographic film, and effecting relative movement of said record strip between projection of successive word images by amounts controlled by said recorded data in order to obtain justified lines on said film. As shown (Fig. 4), the characters 13 are arranged as transparent areas on a continuously rotating opaque disc 10. Associated with each character is a transparent mark 11 and a set of transparent dots 14 arranged radially, which comprise in code form the relative point size of that character. A single transparent mark 12 is positioned at the beginning of the set of characters. When any character comes opposite the aperture 32 in mask 31, it may be photographed on the film 40 by the lens 36 by flashing the lamp 33. The point size of the image may be varied by changing the lens 36, a number of which are arranged in a slidable lens bank (not shown). At the same time as the character is illuminated, the lamp 65 (Fig. 1) is flashed to illuminate the associated dots and the light transmitted is received by the photo-cells 60-64. The character and its associated dots are shown radially displaced for mechanical convenience. Lamps 26 and 21 illuminate marks 12 and 11 respectively so that the photo-cell 28 emits a pulse once per revolution of the disc and the photo-cell 22 emits a pulse as each character passes the aperture 32. The required characters are selected on a typewriter keyboard 77 with spacer bar 165 and each key, when depressed, presents a unique number into counter 80. If the key corresponds to the " n "th character on the disc from the marker 12, and if there are 128 characters in all, then the number preset into the counter 80 by that key is 128-n. Depression of a key also closes electronic switch 81 so that the next time the marker 12 passes photo-cell 28 a pulse passes through amplifier 29 and switch 81 to close switch 82. The timing pulses from photo-cell 22 and amplifier 23 are thus allowed to pass through switch 82 into counter 80, and when " n " pulses have been counted (i.e. when the " n "th letter from marker 12 has reached aperture 32), counter 80 has reached a full count of 128 and emits a pulse. This flashes lamps 33 and 65 to photograph the character on the film 40 and to energize the photo-cells 60-64 in accordance with the point size of the character photographed. At the same time switch 82 is opened to stop further counting into 80. The film 40 is then advanced an amount depending on the width of the character just photographed and the point size selected, by rotating the drum 46 by means of the spacer mechanism 50. This tends to drive drum 46 forward but is prevented from doing so by solenoids operating levers connected to a belt and pulley system (not shown). The solenoids are energized from the first seven binary stages of a space memory counter 116 to pay out the belt and thus advance the drum 46 in accordance with the point size of the characters photographed. The space memory counter 116 comprises 13 binary stages, the last six of which are preset by a line length control 117, and is fed from a space computer 102. The latter comprises 11 binary stages, the first six of which comprise a point set counter controlled by a point set control 110 which is set by the operator, and the last five stages comprise a space code counter which counts the pulses received from the photo-cells 60-64. The space memory counter 116 is also linked with a bank of code lamps 121 which indicate the space remaining in the line after all the space units occupied by the photographed characters have been counted. When the word space bar 165 is operated, a . marker line is photographed on to the record strip below the line of characters by a lamp in unit 160, which is flashed by a pulse from a condenser discharge, which pulse is also fed into a word space memory 174. This is a five-stage binary counter each stage of which is provided with a display lamp in bank 121 whereby the total number of word spaces in the line are displayed in code. A pulse is also communicated to spacer 50 which advances the film strip by a uniform amount. During the composition of a line the film 40 is held in fixed relation to the drum 46 by a punch and die set 55 carried on the drum, which punches a hole in the film at the commencement of a line, the punch remaining in the hole until the line is completed. At the end of a line of composition, the " Begin the line control " 198 is operated. This disconnects the retarding system of spacer 50 from the drum 46 which thus moves forward to an end stop under the action of a spring, whereupon solenoid 211 operates shutter 210 to photograph the code lamps 121, which constitute data for the subsequent justification of the line. The film 40 is then clamped by means not shown, and the solenoid 197 operated to remove the punch 55 from the hole in the film. A motor then rewinds drum 46 which slips in relation to the clamped film, the punch is operated to fix the film to the drum again, the retarding mechanism of spacer 50 is reconnected to the drum 46, and the film is unclamped ready to commence a new line of composition. The lines are rephotographed in justified form from the record strip 40 by the apparatus shown in Fig. 13. The strip 40 is held by the punch 280 inserted through the punched hole and the words are photographed one at a time on to film 230 by means of lens 231 and shutter 235. The lens 231 is moved on rails 236 by a belt 238 to effect the required justification of the words. The coded data on the film 40 is illuminated by lamp 281 and produces a display 285 which corresponds with the bank of lamps 121 (Fig. 1) and is picked up by a corresponding arrangement of photo-cells. This information is used to control the unit 237 which moves the lens 231 the amount required for justification. The unit 237 also moves the lens backwards by an amount to cancel the arbitrary constant word spaces on film 40. The shutter (Fig. 15) comprises two halves 245, 255 which are independently urged forward under the action of springs but movement may be prevented by electromagnetic brakes. The shutter 245 carries a lamp and photo-cell unit which moves with the shutter over the edge of the strip 40. When this unit passes one of the word space marks the photocell is energized and the brake on shutter 245 applied so that the edge of the shutter stops in the middle of a word space. After a word has been photographed by flashing the lamp 234, the brake on shutter 255 is de-energized and this moves forward to close the gap 265, when the brake is applied again. The brake on shutter 245 is then released and the shutter moves forward until the next space mark energizes the photo-cell and stops the shutter in the middle of the next word space and so on.